Towers
Towers are the traditional place for the practice and training of laran. All or most significant uses of laran take place in the Towers for safety and security. Arilinn Tower is protected by a force field that allow only the laran gifted to enter. The use of laran is very draining and dangerous, thus the force fields, the use of silk to muffle psi static and most Towers do major laran work at night when there is less active minds to interfere. During the Age of Chaos Towers manufactured a number of weapons such as clingfire, bonewater dust and lungrot plague spores, as well as direct mental combat Tower against Tower. After the adoption of the Compact the knowledge of laran-based weapons was lost. Instead of a quasi-science it became more secretive and mystical. For many years the common people of Darkover have revered the use of laran as sorcery and Keepers and Tower leronis as sorceresses/sorcerers. The use of laran came to be surrouded by legends, customs and tradition. For a time the Towers became omnipotent but slowly started to lose that power and mystical secrecy and the study and exercise of laran became more scientific. Laran gifted who are tested and found to have significant laran are asked to serve in a Tower, for a time all Comyn laran gifted would have to serve a three-year term. Many would leave when their term was up but many stayed voluntarily. The towers of Darkover are where the laran gifted come for training and to work for a limited time or stay if they wish. The importance of the towers was unknown to the Terrans but the work of the towers is what sustains Darkovan society. Towers staffed with leronis are used to send messages across Darkover quickly, a leronis circle is used to excavate metals and minerals from deep in the planetary crust, a leronis circle is used to gather clouds and cause rain in needed areas especially when there are forest fires. Many leronis travel the land to test comyn family children and heal the injured. During the Age of Chaos before the Compact of Varzil the Good towers were involved in the fueds between families and created devastating laran weapons such as clingfire, bonewater dust or lungrot plague spores. Now towers are neutral and operate for the benefit of the Darkovan people. Towers can be staffed by many leronis of varying degrees of laran, because of this they are grouped into titles that best suite their skills and abilities. Keepers are the head and conscience of the tower, they decide what activities the circle will perform whether it is bring rain or mapping minerals for excavation. The traditional garb of Keepers is red, it is a warning to others not to touch or distract them. Keepers must channel and direct great flows of energons and being touched during this work even slightly can disrupt the flow harming or killing those around them and those they are mentally linked with. Being a Keeper is a difficult task and not many can master it. Under Keepers are Keepers in training, they wear red robes with blue trim to denote their status. Technicians are next in line in the tower heirarchy, they maintain matrices and lattices. To be a good technician you must be able to visualize and control matter and energy at the molecular level. A tower can function with a Technician's circle, with a skilled Technician acting as Keeper, this is very common for minor circle work. Technicians wear blue robes and Lead Technicians wear blue robes trimmed in red. Mechanics are another group of leronis important to towers, they wear green robes. A Mechanics job is to provide strength and skill to the work being done. Mechanics usually have a particular laran or affinity for something that helps guide the circles Keeper. Last but not least are the Monitors, these white robed leronis are the protectors of the circle. They watch and maintain the life signs of the circle, from massaging a cramp to helping blood and oxygen flow, they keep the circle health so they can stay focused on the task at hand. Taking the Monitor's oath is the first oath that tower workers take and the first skill they learn. Many with the Ridenow donas make excellent Monitors. In the past and present there have been Towers in almost every major city of Darkover: *Hali *Aldaran *Neskaya *Comyn *Alba *Tramontana *Arilinn *Thendara *Dalereuth *Corandolis *Valeron *Carcosa Tower Activities The Towers engaged in numerous activites: *testing potential children for laran *developing and discovering a students laran talents *training for those who possess laran no mater how minimal *advanced training for those who posses a donas *manning the relays (a rapid communication system run by the Towers) *fire fighting (move clouds and cause rain over forest fires) *mining and mapping (identifying metal and mineral deposits and bring them to the service) *healing List of Towers There were once Towers thru out the land, through the ages many were destroyed or abandoned, mostly because of the lack of enough leronis for them to operate at full capacity. Most cities or towns had a Tower and every Domain had a Tower. *Alba *Aldaran *Arilinn (the most prestigious Tower, strict training, adherence to tradition and the old ways) *Carcosa *Cedestri *Comyn *Corandolis *Dalereuth *El Haliene *Forbidden *Hali *Hestral *Nervasin *Neskaya *Thendara *Tramontana *Valeron Tower Personnel In a fully functional Tower there are people besides the Keeper and the circle sometimes. In ages past there would sometimes be multiple circles in a Tower doing work. Listed below are important members of a circle: *Keeper *Under-Keeper *Technician *Mechanic *Monitor Category:Places